Wind Child
by dreamland27
Summary: Team Avatar struggles to settle the unrest between the nations following the events of Sozin's Comet. As Firelord Zuko must decide between standing up for his nation or forcing the colonies to return, he is also at risk of losing his throne to Fire Nation Rogues. Meanwhile, Jin seeks out the Fire Nation rogues responsible for her father's death. Full summary in Chapter 1.
1. Flight

**Full Summary: ****Team Avatar struggles to settle the unrest between the nations following the events of Sozin's Comet. As Firelord Zuko must decide between standing up for his nation or forcing the colonies to return, he is also at risk of losing his throne to Fire Nation Rogues. Meanwhile, Jin seeks out the Fire Nation rogues responsible for her father's death. As their paths cross and intertwine in a quest to defeat the rogues, secrets expose themselves, memories are recalled from the past, and suppressed feelings revive themselves.**

**Author's Note: ****Life happens, which in my case is 3 years of college... Sorry for not updating. But I suddenly got inspired to write again! I've proofread my chapters a bit and decided to develop it and make a bigger plot. I can't just write romance. And because this is a ZukoxJin fanfiction, you're probably here because you like ZukoxJin or you want to give it a try. If not, please don't read and respond to something you know you're not going to like. Here we go.**

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Wind Child

Flight

"They're here, in the city!"

Jin rolled over, trying to drown the sound out with her lumpy pillow. This movement, however, threw her over the edge of the bed, and her head collided with the floorboards. She rubbed her head as it swam. The sound came shrill again.

"They're here! Flee the city! Hurry!" It was an old man, followed by several other shouts and screams. Jin peeked out over the window sill, and surely, refugees like her were wrapped up in the hysteria and rushed through the streets. She could not believe her eyes. The sky, not too far away, was tinged red in the dead of night, and she saw columns of black smoke rising. The Fire Nation broke through the lower ring.

Her first instinct was to run, but she could not. What if her parents were still sleeping? Instead, she began filling the knapsack under her cot with a couple family heirlooms: a luxurious jade comb and her grandmother's silk kimono—and then she hurriedly stuffed in a couple changes of clothes. That was all she needed. After all, she was used to being a traveling refugee.

Jin burst into her parent's room, nearly ripping the sliding door apart. "Mama, Papa… Wake up." She knelt by her mother and nudged her. She lay peacefully in her husband's arms, serene, and her dark hair hung over her shoulder in a beautiful long braid. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked concerned at her daughter, unaware of anything that was happening, wondering why she looked so panicked. "Mama, we have to leave."

Jin's father woke and he rubbed his eyes. "Jin, what's wrong?"

"The Fire Nation is here, in the lower ring," she explained, "I saw the smoke with my own eyes."

A couple shrieks from the outside could be heard, and the roar of fire, faint for now, was advancing.

Her father looked frantically at his wife. "Hiromi, do you have the passports?"

"Yes, dear." She leaped out of bed and snatched what looked like booklets from her desk. "Have you gotten everything packed, Jin?"

"Yes, Mama."

Her parents packed the belongings, at least, whatever would fit. And then they fled, but they did not know where to. The three followed the crowd, clinging to each other.

"Papa, where do we go?" Jin shouted above the crowd.

He looked in the direction of the flow of the crowd. "Not to the docks. The soldiers will have beaten us there. We will have to get out through the wall."

Jin knew what that would mean. It was their only option of escape now. The only way out of the city walls was earthbending. "But Papa—"

"You must, Jin!" She knew the pleading in his voice. He'd always believed that she could earthbend.

The trio rushed, hand in hand, plowing through the crowd of refugees and then stumbling down a steep and dusty hill. They finally reached that colossal wall; the wall that once offered protection, which was now a prison. Jin heard the roaring wall of fire now, much closer, and turned to see a house set ablaze.

"You can do it, Jin!" her father encouraged. She turned again to the wall. This wall was the only barrier from their freedom.

Jin studied the barrier as she inhaled deeply. Strong, she thought, positive _jing_. She threw a punch as she exhaled, plunging a hole into the rock. She continued these movements until her arms were about to give out. As she threw the last punch, the barrier fell away to expose the millions of stars. She grabbed her mother's hand. "Let's go!"

But she would not budge. She was stiff, looking the other way. Jin gasped when a couple yards away, she saw her father in the grasp of Fire Nation soldiers.

"Jin, Hiromi, go!" Mother and daughter were frozen as they watched him struggling to fight them. "Go, now!"

He earthbended as a defensive maneuver. His long braid, a sign of his honor, was cut from his head as soldiers barely managed to shackle him.

"Go! I'll come for you!" he shouted, letting the soldiers drag him off. A couple others headed in their general direction. Hiromi pushed her daughter closer to the end of the tunnel.

"Let's go, dear."

"But, Papa—" She did not believe him one bit.

"We'll find him, I promise!"—there was anguish in her voice—"Now, go!" She nudged her daughter once more. Jin leapt with agility down the boulders and rubble, her mother following closely behind. Tears glazed her eyes as she ran for her life. How could he do that? She needed him. He'd supported her; worked hard to provide his little girl with all she needed, taught her, deemed her the jewel of his eye. She still needed him. And now, she would have no way of finding him.

The two ran through the safety of the forest, shrouded by nightfall. After running a good five miles, they rested near the clearing. Jin's tears still flowed, maybe from shock, maybe from fear, or a bit of both.

Jin came into contact with her mother's sleeve and sobbed even harder, the heaving of her lungs becoming an unbearable ache. She clung to her embrace, a child slowly finding comfort in her mother's arms. "Why…why?" she blubbered.

The sound of her sobs even made it hard for her mother to bear. A lump formed in her throat, but she knew that she should be strong for her daughter's sake. She tried convincing herself that they would both find her husband as she stroked Jin's dark hair, but she was still very uncertain. She gently rocked her daughter back and forth as she did when Jin was a baby. Eventually the sobs calmed to sniffles, and then quieted into a deep slumber.

She gently placed her daughter onto the meadow grass and slid her own knapsack under her head. She lay beside Jin and let her troubled mind wind down.


	2. Awake

**Author's Note: Just a disclaimer: I do not own anything that is Avatar:The Last Airbender. I am simply inspired by its characters and plot. Here's chapter 2.**

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Awake

Jin's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurry. She rubbed them and opened them again. They stung for an odd reason… and then she remembered.

_'Jin, Hiromi! Go! Go now!'_

Coldness filled her stomach in unease as the realization overtook her. Her father had been captured. She lay on a bed of meadow grass, dry and uncomfortably prickled on her back. Her mother lay beside her with a slightly tear-streaked face. She was just as upset, But she did not show it before.

Jin opened her knapsack, digging for the jade comb. She brushed out all of her tangled hair unwarily as she stared at the sky. It was probably near noon. Where were the soldiers? She imagined that they would have been in pursuit.

"How did you sleep?" her mother mumbled, her voice crackling, but managing to stay even.

"Dreamlessly," she replied. And then she turned to look back at her mother. "How about you?"

She averted her eyes and picked at a few blades of grass. "Dreamless, like you did. But I _know_ we will find your papa. He is strong."

Jin's eyes stung, but this time she could hold in her tears. She had to be strong, like her father, and now her mother. "I understand."

"We have to continue moving," Jin's mother suggested as she rose. "The soldiers are probably looking for us."

"Yes, Mama," Jin obliged, slinging her belongings onto her back. She and her mother began making their way across the meadow, which spread for miles, vast and stretching almost to the horizon. They both knew that beyond the meadows and hills lay the scorching Si Wong desert.

As they hiked, Jin mused on the changes that this would mean again. She would have to make new friends again, meet new people, and once again hide her earthbending. She did not seem to forget, out of all the few people who caught her eye, Lee. His face… scarred, yet it sparked Jin's curiosity. What had the soldiers done to him? Despite an imperfection, it made him all the more mysterious. She was not sure how he'd lit up all the candles in the fountain that night. He did mention he and his uncle traveled with a circus, so that could explain it. She also had a hunch that he could have been a firebender in secret. Firebending in a place like Ba Sing Se was going out on a limb and risking imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Dai Li. That gesture atoned for anything he had said or done before on the date. But when their lips touched, and he kissed back, he was unpredictable. Lee never showed up after that night, no matter how many nights she spent walking to the Firelight Fountain hoping she would see him there.

"Jin?"

"Yes?"

Her mother studied her. "You're in a daze… What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Jin nervously rubbed her head, "I'm just thinking, that's all."

What had she done to ruin that date with Lee? Had she moved too fast with him? Did he like her at all? The only explanation he gave before walking off was a brokenly voiced, "It's complicated."

They reached the hills where they spotted camps. But there were flags with white lotuses on them. "Mama?" Jin asked fearfully, "Who are they?"

"It's alright. The Order of the White Lotus is community made to restore balance in a time of dire need. We will be safe here," she explained. The two hiked further up the hills, where nestled in a small valley were white tents, and graying old men dressed in navy blue and white uniforms. They did not look as if they were made bitter by the war; their features lay clean and smooth on their faces.

Jin and her mother slowly walked out of the bushes. A short old man peeked over his shoulder at them. Jin gasped upon the recognition; she knew this face. He owned the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se. "Mushi?" she whispered to herself.

"What?" Jin's mother replied with slight surprise.

The man turned to them, having sensed their presence long before they reached cover of the bushes. He looked just as welcoming as he had before in the Jasmine Dragon. "Jin?" he realized after searching his lengthy memory for the face.

Jin confidently took a few steps towards him. The gold of his eyes glinted in the afternoon light with a familiarity that resembled the tea shop manager. "Mushi?" she repeated.

"Ah, my regular customer from the tea shop; it is lovely to see you again," he answered, smiling warmly.

"What are you…why are you here?" she inquired with impending curiosity.

He sighed, a bit disappointed, it seemed. "Jin, I am sorry that I have lied about my identity, but I have done so, being a fugitive, to protect myself."

Jin, still unaware of his true identity, understood without question. Of course she knew what that was like. "And you won't need to reveal it if you don't want to," she replied, bowing as a sign of respect. Her mother had, at some point in the exchange, ventured out of the bushes. She had felt the need to protect her, should this be a trap of some sort.

The elder glanced for a moment at the woman who now joined Jin. Either there was not a trace of malice in her eyes or he just assumed that she would not harm the Order of the White Lotus, he said, "You must be weary from travel. The Order will take you in."

Jin and her mother followed him into the village of white tents, and he received several bows from the rest of the elders. The two women were led to a tent close to the side of the camp, and the man pulled back the flap. They cautiously entered the space, placed their belongings down by their sides and kneeled on the tatami. The old man smiled again. "Would you ladies care for some tea?" he offered.

"Yes, please," Jin's mother said politely, and with much poise in her voice. Jin had to remind herself that her mother had not always been reduced to rags, but was once a descendant of a respected figure in a western Earth Kingdom town before it was overthrown by the Fire Nation. Her mother, through these years, had never forgotten her proper habits. She used to tell Jin as a little girl that one day her family would once again regain its power. Jin watched as she tucked the kimono in gently, and folded her hands neatly in her lap. And for the first time since her father's capture, she smiled.

The man disappeared behind the curtain of the tent to make the tea.

"Jin?" her mother asked. Jin turned to her, and surprise was on her features. "How do you know this man?"

"I met him in the city. Remember, it was Pao's tea shop?" she explained. "He worked there." She fiddled with her fingers as she thought of the day she gathered the courage to approach Lee. Her breath shortened and her stomach seemed to flip upon the memory.

The man came back inside the tent and knelt by the table in front of the tatami with the cups steaming with tea. "I made White Jade tea. You, Jin, always requested it."

"So, where is Lee?"

He looked up, and for a moment, he looked as if he had gone completely blank, as if he couldn't remember the name. His eyes blinked back a wetness that Jin thought she had imagined, and he made no eye contact as he spoke. He seemed focused on pouring more tea into the cups. "He is not here now. He has chosen to go off on his own path." His voice almost stayed perfectly even. Then he placed his hands on his lap and looked up at the two. "I do not know his whereabouts."

Silence stretched through the tent. Jin's mother took a dainty sip of her tea, and then asked, "And what is the Order of the White Lotus planning? The gathering must of course mean something."

A beam tugged at the corners of his face. There was hope yet on his features. "We plan to give Ba Sing Se back to the people of the Earth Kingdom. This will be done on the day of the eclipse. And being the retired general of the Fire Nation, upon seeing the wrong of my previous ways, I intend to raid the wall to free the Earth Kingdom citizens, and take the palace back in the name of the Earth Kingdom."

"General Iroh, I see," Jin's mother realized.

"Retired general, actually," he corrected courteously. "I think we have the trust we need to establish our true identities, now that we know that we are on the same side."

"And, your nephew?" Jin inquired curiously.

"He is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." Their eyes widened with surprise. "Despite his reputation, he has shown hints that his ways are changing. I believe that he has the potential to lead the Fire Nation away from this century of hatred and prejudice, and into an era of peace."

His words reached Jin and her mother, and they fully trusted the retired general. The Order of the White Lotus did not just accept _anyone _into the Order. They were believed to be an excellent judge of character, and only those who were loyal to peace, regardless of country, were ever allowed. But Jin's heart beat almost in triplets upon recognition of Lee, or rather, the exiled Price Zuko. "Oh my word…" she breathed.

"I am truly sorry for our dishonesty," Iroh expressed. He twiddled his thumbs around his cup, watching the steam waft upwards from the tea. "I would be happy to amend our trust here, if there is anything that—"

"No, General," Jin's mother said respectfully. "My daughter once in a while forgets her etiquette." She smiled, but the expression was laced with slight shame on behalf of her daughter. "That won't be necessary."

"Very well," he responded gently. It was very unlike a General, Jin thought, that his persona would seem gentle yet after so many years of service to the Fire Nation. The only soldiers she saw in her lifetime had authoritative voices, all coarse from numerous battle cries, looked down upon all Earth Kingdom civilians and soldiers alike and saw them as filth. Those were the humans like them who tried every way possible to make them all believe that earth was inferior to the superior element of fire, from taking their heirlooms, to burning their homes, to raiding whole cities. This man that sat here, pouring Earth Kingdom refugees cups of tea, was a soldier of the Fire Nation, retired or not. But it gave Jin hope that the prince, too, would follow the general's same path.

"If you don't mind my asking," Iroh began to inquire, "are there more of you coming?"

Jin could only assume that he meant family. Fresh wounds were salted. Last night's memory once again plagued her mind, and she imagined for an instant that there was a sharp throbbing in her head. "My father…" she uttered just above a whisper.

She heard her mother's melancholic sigh, almost as a method to prevent her from grieving outwardly. "My husband has not joined us," she answered somberly. "The soldiers took him just as we were escaping."

Iroh stroked his beard, leaning back slightly, his smile disappearing. "Ah, my apologies. I did not realize…"

"That is alright. Being of Earth Kingdom blood, it is natural for us to hope. He is strong," her mother said, keeping her tone level. Whether she had said it to Iroh or herself, Jin was not sure. She masked her unhappiness rather well; from last night on to today, she'd done her best not to shed a tear.

Iroh nodded, and then his eyes widened slightly. "Oh, how rude of me," he laughed lightly, "I had forgotten to ask your name."

"My name is Hiromi," Jin's mother confirmed, bowing her head.

Sunset fell over the valley, casting shadows into the trees and bushes. Campfires, one by one, lit dimly, slowly fueled.

Jin was situated on the lush slope of a nearby hill, overlooking the horizon, onto where the city of Ba Sing Se lay nestled, smoky and imprisoned by fire. Her father was probably still there, alive, she hoped. How long could he stay strong? She could not even begin to imagine the torture that her father could be enduring. Firebenders did not like earthbenders, of course. The Fire Nation despised the Earth Kingdom-it was a trend which occurred since 100 years ago; they had all grown up with that hatred for a nation they had never set foot on. It became second-nature.

The sun had almost set, and Jin sighed as if all the unease left her in one exhalation. Firebenders' powers were at their weakest after dark. And if there was one thing that the Earth Kingdom had all grown up with, and still kept with each of them, it was their undying hope.

She tucked her knees to her chest. How was it that the Earth Kingdom had always acquired hope? Was it because of Avatar Aang, the wind child as small Earth Kingdom towns called him? Or was it because destiny had been on their side for a whole century, if one looked at the kingdom from an optimist's view? The Avatar survived lightning generated from the Fire Nation princess, thus it was only natural that it was perceived as a good omen across the country.

She had never seen the boy, but she would always see detailed drawings. The child of twelve was a miracle to the world, she read, and Jin fully believed that he would return to save the Earth Kingdom. She still believed it, despite the colossal odds against them.

Jin could almost see the city engulfed in flames from here. What a tragedy; the largest city fell into the hands of Firelord Ozai.

She punched the ground lightly, sending marble-sized spheres of earth into the air. Snatching them before they could hit the ground, she curled her fist around them before spinning them, almost perfecting her one-handed juggling technique. It felt good to bend again.

And then she let the dirt crumble into her hands. Zuko's face faded into her mind. Over dinner, when asked if he juggled, he said yes, and failed miserably at proving it. Jin chuckled at the fond memory. Looking up at the afterglow once again, his features disappeared back into her subconscious, and were replaced with those of her father's.

"Tomorrow will come," she told herself, releasing the soil from her hands and wrapping her arms tighter around her legs. Her churning of her anxious stomach eased.

Eventually finding sanctuary, she walked back to the camp, which almost lay in darkness, with the exception of the small fire pit. She stumbled across something colossal and astonishing.

The famous flying bison stood in front of her, and she rubbed her eyes vigorously upon the sight.

The creature looked at her and nudged her arm with his snout. He was real, alright. "Appa," she said, still in amazement. She touched his snout and he lightly growled in his sign of merriment. Jin heard footsteps, and, without a moment's thought, dove into the bushes. The avatar's friends followed a good distance behind the creature; an arrogant figure with a ponytail of sorts, two beautiful girls, a blind girl, and a familiar face. And then three White Lotus Members followed.

She could not define them all with such little time that the faces passed her. But one in particular had stood out from the rest.

"I know that face," she whispered.

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**Author's Note: Well there it is! The big ugly cliff hanger—dun-dun-dun!** **But I bet you all know who it is already... Give me your reviews! :p  
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	3. Destiny

Destiny

Jin sat up and looked at her surroundings. Morning light filtered through the white tent, making everything that was shrouded last night visible. Unrolled scrolls lay overtop of a deep-colored wooden table, some rolled up under it and in piles, the workspace an organized chaos. Beside it was a nightstand of sorts, which contained many small drawers, and a luxurious mirror—a structure that only the rich and fortunate of the Earth Kingdom could afford to have. Her mother sat at this place, lightly powdering her face. She had rarely ever seen her mother do this, seeing as they barely even had the funds for food. The braid on her head had been set loose; long, wavy wisps fell near her porcelain face.

"Mama," Jin murmured.

Hiromi pulled her gaze away from the mirror to where Jin's voice had come from. It seemed as if she snapped out of thought. She smiled at her daughter. "Good morning, my sweet," she said softly. "How did you sleep?"

Jin downcast her eyes; it bothered her all night, her father's capture replaying in her head. She lay awake almost till the first light thinking about him. What could he possibly be enduring now? She cringed, shook the thought from her head, and replaced it once again with the optimistic thought that she would see him when this war was over. That was always the idea that she looked for. "Nightmares," she said.

Hiromi saw a sad smile on her daughter's face. Her daughter was distraught, no matter how she tried to hide it, and she was not foolish. "If only I could earthbend as well. For now, we need to keep praying that he is safe, for the most part."

"I don't want you to feel guilty, mother," she replied.

Jin dressed in her nicest, green and white threadbare gown, hoping that it would look decent and pleasing in comparison to the rags that she had been wearing in the city. She followed as her mother had done and powdered her face gingerly. Brushing her hair with the jade comb, and trying it at the nape of her neck with a ribbon, she began to feel quite anxious. Perhaps she would run into Zuko. But quickly choosing to ignore the feeling, she rose to her feet. "I'm going outside. Fresh air will do me some good."

Hiromi nodded, but was convinced that something troubled her yet. "Very well, Jin," she said, turning to the mirror and beginning to fasten pins into her hair.

Jin walked out of their tent with a sigh of relief. Being in the comfort of her mother was relieving, but this time, she needed to unearth those subconscious thoughts, maybe, in being alone with nature. She looked up around her. Six people sat around a small, boiling pot. There was Iroh, sitting just at outside the entrance of his tent, and the rest of them were the strangers that she had seen last night. A girl in blue, her skin tone dark, sat next to Iroh. Beside her sat another girl with pieces of her short hair pulled back, the next was a boy who looked like a warrior, and after him sat a shoeless girl in green. The last to complete the circle was the boy with dark hair, conversing with Iroh. Jin hid again, this time behind nearby tent.

From where she was situated, she saw the identical mark on his face that flooded her mind ever since he disappeared. The skin turned deep pink towards his eye. From her distance, she could even define his keen, light eyes. Her eyes did not deceive her as she recognized Zuko. Her heart beat rapidly, and if felt as if her insides would burst because of the speed.

He appeared at peace, as opposed to what used to be his perpetual expression—a contorted frown and bitterness in his eyes. Almost like his uncle, he maintained a sanguine appearance. It was interesting, the changes that occurred in him just on the outside, and she began to wonder what else had changed on the inside.

Carefully, so as not to be seen, she sneaked away to the slope where she had ventured before. The sky flaunted its bright, blue hue, and there were even small birds singing and some soaring above the treetops, just below the scattered, cottony clouds. This place had not received a lush, soothing fair for the earth to drink up in a long time, but it stayed green; an oasis, immune to the damages of the Fire Nation.

Jin dug up a handful of dirt and cradled it in her hands. She clenched her fists around it, her power changing them. It took her a slow time to form a rock, a sign that she needed practice, because when she opened her hands, she saw a soft clump of clay. Her earthbending was rusty after hiding it for so long.

Dai Li agents were now under the Fire Nation's rule, she thought, which would mean that each one of them would be crueler than before. She heard through talk in the streets that they originally tortured people with their unbelievable talent for brainwashing, and physical abuse through their earthbending. She could not bear to fathom their current treatment towards prisoners. Their town, before it was raided, had been a fairly rural town. Her father, even then, was a respected community leader. She grew up around ostrich horses and carts, dusty, winding roads, and wooly pigs, pickens, moo-sows and annoying pigsters. The wooly pigs' wool was a moderately valued export, keeping the town in business. Since the Fire Nation took over, business failed, and eventually, her family moved into Ba Sing Se, barely escaping with their lives.

Though the summer wind blew warm, she shivered. She knew that her father would remain strong; he was the most stubborn person she knew. But what if he was not this time? The Dai Li always had ways to make citizens bend to their will. Then there was a thought that made Jin cringe. She was frightened. Sometimes they made the Earth Kingdom prisoners dress as Fire Nation soldiers, merely to stand on the front lines of battle. It was a form of entertainment to the superior element, which made her sick. What if they had successfully made a Fire Nation soldier out of him?

The clay in her hands grew hard, turning to stone with her anger. She marveled her work and molded the edges to engrave something. It was written in Earth Kingdom characters, _destiny_. Jin sighed, satisfied with the finished product and concealed it in her clothing.

The clouds began to blot out the afternoon sun, a sudden change in daylight, and there was the only sound of the tempest winds picking up speed even as it swept though the trees. It was an omen to Jin that the Avatar, wherever he was, would be here soon. She stood and smoothed out her gown vigorously and ran for the campsite. When she stood in the comfort of the trees, she saw that the strangers were already heading out. She approached to hear the last of Iroh's words.

"…today, destiny is our friend. I know it," he voiced. Jin immediately clutched the stone that she had created. This was a day of destiny, judgment day almost. Today, the world would finally see if peace would win over decades of hatred. And there was something in his steady voice, the tone of certainty that he used, that made Jin believe his words. Slim as the chances were, it was today, or never, that they would all attempt to regain peace.

The three strangers on the eel-hound shot across the dusty path to the west. Zuko and the girl in blue, sitting on Appa's saddle, rose into the air in the same direction.

Jin ventured out as they left, and approached Iroh. "Is it time to take Ba Sing Se, General?"

He turned, almost as if he expected her to speak to him. "Yes, Jin. It is time."

She quickly looked toward the ground. "I…" Naturally, she was not the avatar, and she was not a prodigal child who had finally seen the light either. How was she to help in this revolution? "I don't know what I can do."

Iroh placed a hand on her shoulder, indicating for her to make contact with him. He continued. "Do not underestimate what you can do." He knelt down to pick up a mass of dirt and placed it in her hands, which she formed into a stone almost involuntarily. "I have seen your power—I have faith in you."

Hiromi cleared her throat from behind Jin. She bowed respectfully to Iroh, and walked to her mother. She removed her hands from her sleeves and embraced her daughter. "You can do it. I know you can," she assured her.

Jin spoke quietly as her arms encircled her mother. "Father is there. How will we find him?"

"We will. Don't worry," she said optimistically. Hiromi hoped with all her heart that her husband was well.

Jin stood in her mother's embrace. The wind around them blew east, and crows flew in the same direction. When she looked at the sky, it was ominous with towering, dark clouds. It signaled oncoming danger.

"Mama, look," she pointed out to the west at the shroud of weather.

Hiromi looked around and grew fearful. "The Fire Nation must be coming." She gazed at her child, the girl who seemed terrified of the Fire Nation for her whole life, and now decided to protect her people. Jin's eyes glimmered with confidence as she smiled at her mother.

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**Author's Note: Please review, thank you!**


	4. Sky

Sky

Sozin's Comet approached from the east, now in the earth's orbit. It was the most enormous ball of orange and yellow fire that the generations had ever seen. Frightening, yet beautiful, it signaled the looming apocalypse.

Men of the White Lotus rushed about like insects to their positions. Some were farmers, merchants, and others were carpenters, blacksmiths, and silversmiths. They each had a family, be it a wife or sisters, sons or daughters, who they'd left to gather here.

Jin secured the armbands that protected the majority of her arms. They allowed more movement than she had expected it to. She dipped her fingers in the jade war paint, and drew a line across each cheekbone, two parallel lines descending vertically from each mark.

"Ready?" her mother called from the tent opening.

She took a deep breath, though her lungs did not seem to gain much oxygen. "As I'll ever be," she responded. She leapt out of her crouch and proceeded out of the tent. Jin was adorned in green, war-like attire, the jade everywhere a clear symbol of her nationalism.

Iroh stood on an earthen platform, the White Lotus flag blowing high in the wind as the comet began to lash across the sky. A ring of fire formed around the platform with every intake of his breath. The magnificence upon watching the full extent of a firebender's power was far too much even for thought to describe.

And suddenly, a bright ray shot down over the summit of the hills. It was incredible, Jin thought, how a tiny flame could evolve so quickly into a great jet of fire. The wall, made a prison, was breached by Iroh alone.

Jin stormed into the city, following close behind Iroh. She would help her nation somehow, but the first priority that she had chosen was to find her father. She had to know, at least, that he was alive. After that, it would be a matter of finding out where she would find him, _if_ she could find him. A thought stopped her in mid-run; how would she do that? He had been taken by Fire Nation soldiers, but what was his punishment? Sometimes, she heard, they sent them to the Dai Li, or worse… Jin gulped and shook away any other possible ideas.

She pressed on, her nimble legs carrying her with an almost unearthly speed as her adrenaline raced.

A member of the Order had already been warding off soldiers with his own searing wall of fire. Others defeated firebenders by the handfuls, not quite in an aggressive manner, but not quite defensive either.

Soldiers charged at every angle toward Jin with angry war cries. Now, she simply had to trust that she would be able to perform her earthbending skills correctly. Fight or flight mode ignited in her, and she unexpectedly remembered a form that she had learned when she was little, a technique of which she thought she had entirely forgotten until now.

She clenched her hands in fists as her opponents were moments away from conjuring flames. Waiting until the last possible moment, earthen columns shot out from the cobblestone street, one for each soldier, butting each with a strong force with the power to break at least a few ribs. She heard a few cracks around her just above the sound of falling rock.

The columns collapsed into discs, which, as she swung her arms in their direction, made impact with them as the enemies rose, rendering them unconscious this time. However, she decided to leave one alone.

Jin had desired to defeat Fire Nation soldiers since the raiding of her city. Up until she met Iroh again, she had grown bitterness to firebenders. Though he was an exception, a decade of hate toward a culture against a day of kindness to an acquaintance was not enough to change her feeling towards these soldiers. As they all collapsed on the dusty street, she felt a thrill, her heart beating in triplets with adrenaline. Even through the sensation, she had just barely managed to remind herself that she should maintain control.

Her breathing evened as she tried pushing back the boiling spite she felt. She crouched by the injured soldier and firmly gripped his arm, causing him to flinch.

"Does the name Daichi sound familiar?" she inquired.

"N-no…" he stammered. His voice strained. He attempted to hold down a grunt of pain as she held his arm—it must have broken on impact with the rock. She began to feel a slight pang of guilt and slightly released her hold on him. He had a family as well. Did he not deserve to return home safely?

Then she remembered that it was possibly her father's life at stake. The Fire Nation soldiers never looked as if they considered the fact that her father had a family who cared for him. No compassion. No consideration. Not even once. The soldier could have more or less been lying. Who was to say that he was any different from them? Her hand tightened around his arm again, harder this time. The man stifled another groan of pain. "Think back," she said slowly enough in case he could not yet understand Earth Kingdom dialect. "There was a man named Daichi at this very wall where he was captured days ago. And you're telling me that you don't remember?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he retorted, the bitter edge coming back to his voice. His eyes hardened, stubbornness returning to them. Jin heard a low, small 'pop' as she squeezed harder and pushed his body towards the ground and hard against the earth.

"Talk," she commanded darkly, impatient and frustrated with his replies. She could sense another firebender or two on the way to the soldier's aid, so he would have to make his answer, and make it quick.

"Okay," he mustered against the earth, finally giving in. "It was probably the lieutenant that took him—Takeda."

"Where is he?"

An ear-splitting, roaring sound caught the both of them off-guard. Fire landed all around them, and the soldier grinned, half from relief and the other from a sense of victory. "Give up. You're surrounded."

She quickly whirled around, making a point not to loosen her hold on the firebender. More soldiers were gaining on her, and she was undeniably outnumbered. "No…"

With a perfect sense of timing, a colossal wave of water quickly swept across the square. The soldiers were immediately knocked off their feet by the tide. Jin looked to the source to find a White Lotus member. The water froze into ice, and he approached her. "Go!" he shouted. "I can handle it!"

She almost effortlessly smashed a boulder into an oncoming metal tank and turned to him. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

He seemingly ignored her, creating a typhoon, thrashing it around at the soldiers. Jin took this as an order. She was wrong to challenge a respected elder. She knew better.

She ran down an alley until familiar features appeared here and there. Her home or perhaps what was left of it would be somewhere near.

Jin suddenly skidded to a stop. In front of her stood the remains of a house, unrecognizable at this point with its very foundations charred obsidian. Rubble covered the inside of the house, the walls already collapsed on the second story, and the debris threatening to destroy the remaining floor. As she slowly walked toward the ruins, an object in a pile of ashes caught the light of the comet. She gently picked the item out and cleared the grime from it.

She gasped. Immediately she recognized the emblem engraved in the center, ivy encircling the golden bird. This was the coat of arms that her friend in Ba Sing Se owned. It was her acquaintance's last heirloom. Her own house, which once stood beside it, lay as an enormous pile of rubble.

In fact, nearly the entire block was in ruins.

So _this_ was the extent of Fire Nation destruction. These were the lengths they would go to in order to have their superiority be realized. They exterminated most of the lower ring like vermin. Jin's grip tightened around the emblem. They forced their supremacy to be understood. And this is what happened when people stood against them.

Another, more deafening noise sounded much like a tornado. Her eyes darted to meet the source of the sound.

Light poured onto the earth, the comet's rays illuminating every corner of the alley. Its luminosity was so glorious; Jin almost completely forgot its dark purpose. For the moment, as she stood there, swallowed in the light, all she could do was stare.

A louder, even more horrific noise reached her ears. Quiet and high-pitched at first, it began to increase in volume. The sound became unbearable, chaotic, and so unfamiliar. It filled her ears, and she was convinced that an unearthly presence must have appeared. She clasped her hands tightly over her ears to protect them from the damage. She screamed to drown the sound out. Finally, the sound rippled into a thunder, even louder, and the earth shook for a brief instant. Fire, Jin thought. She turned and saw it was merely an understatement.

Nearly all she could see across that western horizon was set ablaze. Columns of blazing orange were boring down into the ground. Though Ba Sing Se was an incredibly lengthy distance from this peril, the fire surged closer with increasing speed. From the distance, she could smell the putrid smoke, and ashes began to fall on her cheek.

She sank to her knees, where the oncoming heat waves were at least bearable. As much as she wanted to run, she knew that she could not possibly do such a thing. At best she could manage to crawl.

Above the roar of the fire that surged on Earth Kingdom ground, she heard and felt the vibrations in the soil of a distant metal clanging. A hand, outstretched, appeared beside her. Her vision blurred in the heat as she gazed up at Iroh. That firebender did not seem to be one bit harmed by this painful heat. But he held his hand out with a warm smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Jin cleared her throat of the ashes and managed to shout, "What is it? What's happening?"

"Don't worry. The Avatar has come back."

The knowledge that the avatar had returned ignited the hope she needed, if only a small amount. Iroh helped her to stand up again, and she strained to gaze up to the sky. The columns of fire had dimmed significantly. Jin did not understand exactly what was going on, but it was certainly a good omen if there was one less column of fire.

"The airships are sinking," she heard Iroh say over the thunderous fire.

"Air ships?" she managed before another coughing fit began. The ashes were still falling, and she forgot to take caution in breathing the polluted air.

"Yes; the new Fire Nation technology has contributed to their success. But I believe they are somehow failing," he explained. His small smile widened into a grin as he watched the approaching airships. With his measure of hope and extensive wisdom, he would pass for an Earth Kingdom native any day.

He looked to Jin. "It's up to the Avatar, now."

"But, what of Ba Sing Se?" The thought occurred to her just now. If the Fire Nation still had Ba Sing Se, they still would have power over the Earth Kingdom. This city, as well as their ruler, was the heart of their empire. To them, the colossal city was a trophy of their supremacy, but to Jin, as well as all other natives, it was much more than that. It was the only standing beacon of their proud country.

"Do you think I'd be chatting with you right this moment if we did not reconquer Ba Sing Se?" he asked as-a-matter-of-factly. "Of course; we restored its freedom!"

Jin beamed in an ear-to-ear smile, which quickly faded into alarm as she glanced over Iroh's shoulder.

It did not matter how far away the capital was from the shore. A bright blue, celestial ray of light seemed to shoot up into the sky. Following after it appeared a red light, crossing over the first.

"What do you suppose...?" she trailed off.

"It is…" Iroh affirmed. They both saw the same thing. One hundred years' fighting led to have this moment. This light must have belonged to none other that the Avatar. The whole world and all its violence, all its noise, seemed to fall silent. Every last living thing stopped and waited in suspense, even if they had no concept of what was happening.

Perhaps he was killed in the avatar state, Jin thought as time passed and nothing happened to the light. The suspense now began to tug at her with impending panic. If the avatar were to fall, even now, it would mean the end of all things foreign to the Fire Nation. It would mean the rebirth of a more tyrannical, more hostile Fire Nation. Its people would rise out of the ashes and carry on without the other three elements. The world would then be under one empire, under a tyrant who ruled with an iron fist. The thought made a cold pit evolve in her stomach.

The light erupted, outshining the comet, even. The sudden blinding light flashed, turning the night sky bright as day. And with its disappearance, it disoriented all who had witnessed. Jin steadied herself, hands on her knees.

"What was that?" she asked, attempting to see the light on the horizon which had disappeared.

"Never in my years have I ever seen anything like it," Iroh remarked, amazed by the happening.

In his lifetime, he'd seen northern lights, southern lights, comets and meteors here and there, and even lights in the Cave of Two Lovers. Nothing, however, had been more fascinating and mysterious than this simple blue light that changed to red, back to blue, and disappeared altogether. This would go down in history as a phenomenal experience.

Jin could hear nothing but her pulse in her ears for the moment. She was dying to know if the scourge was finally over. How she wished with all her might that she could be at the shore, near the remains of the earthen pillars where the Fire Nation airships had been. That was where the avatar must have stopped them. But who was to know? He could have ultimately been obliterated. That blue light could have meant anything, been a call for help that people misread, and been the end of the Avatar cycle, anything. A bead of sweat began to trickle down her temple. Her fist clenched over her knee, perhaps with a growing anxiety, or maybe with anticipation.

Men cheered wildly from several blocks away. They were so loud, that Jin could hear it just above her own loud pulse. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The blood rushed back to her head and she exhaled deeply. Of course, if the Fire Nation soldiers had won, there would be no cheering. Those soldiers always expected to win. No, this time, this sound came from that of people who deserved their freedom, those who earned it, fought tooth and nail for it, even though one hundred years had battered both them and their fathers. It was of those who never thought they would even survive long enough to see this day.

Jin's smile returned with full force, and she closed her eyes in relief.

The comet soared overhead, its tail slowly disappearing as it traveled across the sky.

* * *

**Author's Note: Now let's bring in Zuko. ;) Pleaseeee read and review. Thank you :]**


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